<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Just Another Day by corneroffandom</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28959675">Just Another Day</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/corneroffandom/pseuds/corneroffandom'>corneroffandom</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:20:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,288</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28959675</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/corneroffandom/pseuds/corneroffandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>With Chuck gone, there are a lot of things to adjust to. Including birthdays.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Just Another Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dean Winchester's chilled almost from the moment he opens his eyes. Groaning softly, he buries his face in his pillow and breathes in shallowly, reaching out blindly. He huffs when he touches cool sheets, but then his fingertips brush against soft fur and he smiles, tilting his face to the side to look. "Mornin', Miracle," he greets his dog. "How are you this morning? Hmm?" He slowly rolls over and gets his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Such a good girl, yes you are," he baby talks her for a few moments. "Now c'mon, let's get some breakfast, huh?"</p><p>He pads through the halls, scratching at his scalp, at his hip, yawns widely. He notices absentmindedly how quiet everything is, frowning to himself as he goes to pour some coffee. No soft voices echoing from somewhere, no muffled sounds coming from a TV in another part of the bunker, nothing. His paranoia levels are growing when he catches a glimpse of the clock and freezes, squinting at it. "How the hell did I sleep til almost 11?" he grumbles to himself. If Miracle hadn't woke him up, <em>something</em> would've long before now generally, and he shakes his head, padding lazily from the kitchen to the library to look for everyone else. "Hey, Sam, have you-"</p><p>Before he can even fully get the door pushed open, there's only a split second of peace before three very loud, excited sounding voices blast him back, nearly making him drop his coffee. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAN!"</p><p>He stands there, frozen, gaping at the table covered in stacks of pancakes and bacon, surrounded by Jack, Sam, and Cas. A cheerfully colored HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner spreads out from one side of the wall to the other in the background but he barely pays it any mind, too focused on the people watching his reaction. "Wha- what's this?" he asks, voice a little shaky, dazed.</p><p>"What do you think it is?" Sam says with a fond but exasperated look on his face. "It's your birthday, man. C'mon." He walks over and grips his brother's arm, dragging him inside. "We all made breakfast for you, and I know the bunker's not really decorated or anything, but I-"</p><p>"It's, it's fine," Dean breathes out, still looking a little gobsmacked as he settles into his usual seat and Cas begins filling a plate for him. He looks up, catching his eye and sharing a smile with him. Their hands brush, briefly, when Cas passes the plate and a glass of orange juice over, and Dean struggles to focus through the overwhelmed twisting in his stomach. "I don't even know what to say."</p><p>Birthdays weren't really important to John after the fire, and Dean did his best for Sammy's when he could, but his were more often than not forgotten while they moved from town to town and money was a struggle, then after he turned 17, he just stopped caring all around. Once he reunited with Sam, well, ended up he shared a birthday with Jessica and it was too raw a wound to even focus on, then the world kept circling the drain around them and no one cared for much of anything beyond basic survival. Once it was all said and done, he'd gone nearly a full 40 years without really treating his birthday as anything but another day and, outside of that weird rush of holidays when Mrs. Butters had said he was too old for birthdays, he'd never really thought seriously about it until today.</p><p>"Just say thank you," Sam suggests, cutting into his thoughts.</p><p>Dean nods, his gaze darting around at everything. Twists his fingers together, looks around the table and catches all of their eyes. "Thank you all, so much for this. It really... it means a lot," he admits, ignoring the voice deep down mocking him for having a chick flick moment.</p><p>Jack, unaware of his internal struggle, leaps up with a bright grin. "We made chocolate syrup!" he exclaims, waving a glass jar of the stuff around.</p><p>Dean chuckles a little. "Oh yeah?" They begin to eat then, Dean trying to shake off the cobwebs as his family chatters around him. He's overwhelmed, unused to all of this- the banner, the food, the attention. Especially when he's only had a vague amount of caffeine.</p><p>Speaking of, there's Cas handing him his forgotten mug with a small smile, searching his face as he does so. "Are you ok?" he asks quietly, taking advantage of Jack and Sam talking enthusiastically from the other side of the table.</p><p>"Oh, yeah," Dean says, blinking when it comes out a little highpitched and sounding fake even to his own ears. Clears his throat, tries again. "I'm great. Y'know, it's just- not something that usually happens," he mumbles, waving a hand around at the banner, the food, everything.</p><p>Cas' eyes soften. "Well, let this be the start of a new tradition then."</p><p>They'd all been working at that since the defeat of Chuck, with nothing weighing over their heads. Getting into the Empty to drag Cas' self-sacrificial ass out of the fire- <em>again-</em> and Jack's powers slowly absorbing back into the universe, leaving him literally a part of everything, then dividing he and Amara once more and sending them both careening back to earth as new born children had been a frightening moment- Cas still recovering, Dean struggling just to find a place to land after everything that had changed, and Sam only barely holding it all together himself. But at the end of both craters had just been a couple of scared babies, basically, and they'd taken them back to the bunker, watched over them as they grew too quickly to really make sense of, and before long Amara was gone, off to make her own way once more in the world she would have to relearn without her powers to sway things in her favor. And Jack, well, Jack had stayed right here, where he belonged, helping Cas to regain more of himself when so much had been lost.</p><p>Dean smiles faintly. "Yeah, maybe. Who knows." It's overwhelming, to start now, actually trying to remember and care about things like his birthday. But Cas' eyes are so bright with hope and adoration that Dean thinks, maybe. Yeah. Maybe.</p><p>After breakfast, he expects it all to break apart, Sam and Jack to go off and do whatever, Cas to drift off like he does sometimes still even now, but they all <em>stay</em>, Jack and Sam do dishes and laugh among themselves while Cas sits to Dean's left, content in his silence, and Dean glances around, still trying to make sense of it all. "Do you dislike your birthday, Dean?" Cas asks eventually and Dean blinks hard, coming back to himself and looking up at him.</p><p>"No," he hedges. "Not really, it just... I've never really had one, you know? I mean, not like everyone else. It's... almost always just been another day." He knows that's sad, can tell by the twist of Cas' lips, and shrugs. "It's never been the best time for birthdays, Sam's missed most of his too."</p><p>Cas doesn't comment, just stares at him in that way that used to intimidate and freak Dean out, but now just feels warm and stabilizing in some srange way. He maintains the eye contact until Sam and Jack return, wet and laughing in a way Dean hasn't seen from his brother in a long, long time. He eyes them with a vague smirk and Sam slaps at him with the towel draped over his shoulder. "C'mon, get up, old man. We're going to the Deancave now."</p><p>Dean blinks. "Huh? Ya mean, you're not off to research or talk to Eileen, or...?"</p><p>"Nope," he says. "Cas and Jack decided it's time for a movie marathon. And they picked all of your favorites." Subtly rolls his eyes and breathes out, "So western-palooza, here we come."</p><p>Dean points at him. "Best type of movie out there there is, Sammy." Throws an arm around Cas and Jack's shoulders, grinning wide enough to hurt. "Well, let's get this show on the road then."</p><p>Sam snarks through most of the movies, and Jack asks a lot of questions, but Cas is a steady warmth at his side, and it... it's one of the better afternoons Dean's had in awhile, even distracts him from the myriad of thoughts and memories still twisting around in his head regarding his birthday and everything else.</p><p>Midway through the third movie- less western and more comedy, which brings up a new level of snark from Sam- Dean's cell goes off and they pause, his eyes widening when he realizes it's Eileen. She's off on a case a couple states away, and he obligingly holds the phone in a way for all of them to see the screen as she facetimes them, cheerful and bright after finishing another hunt. "Just wanted to say hey, and wish the birthday boy a happy one," she calls out, and Dean feels that familiar twist deep in his gut but he swallows it down, tacks on a large grin.</p><p>"Thanks, Eileen. How's it going? Enjoying the break from my annoying brother?"</p><p>Sam kicks at him and Eileen laughs, eyes twinkling as she discusses the case, Dean interjecting a few times while Cas listens intently and Sam tries to get a better look at Dean's screen, Jack leaning over to wave in his unique way as Eileen beams at them all. "I'll be back around in a few days."</p><p>"Great, then Sam can stop brooding for a few minutes," Dean jokes, only just avoiding another swipe from Sam's foot before obligingly handing him his phone once he says his byes to her. Sam quickly takes his leave, with a frustrated huff, and Dean chuckles, settling back in at Cas' side. They wait for Sam to return to finish the movie and Jack seems content just to sit and examine the frozen screen, intrigued by the colors and everything else there, and Dean takes the opportunity to glance at Cas, taking in the fond lines of his face, a small smile on his lips. "Doing alright, angel?" he wonders quietly and Cas blinks, looking over at him.</p><p>"Yes, Dean, I'm fine." They stare at each other for what feels like eons, time slowing to a near standstill, and the moment's only broken when Sam returns and Dean fumbles for the remote, turning the movie back on once he's settled, Dean's phone sitting on the table before them.</p><p>"Nice chat?" he teases after a few minutes, avoiding once again Sam's obnoxiously large foot. He barks out a laugh at Sam's frustration and turns his focus back onto the TV.</p><p>Supper comes after the third movie, bacon cheeseburgers and fries with beers, and then a large pie that makes Dean's eyes widen. <em>Apple rhubarb,</em> Cas offers when he takes a bite and struggles to make sense of the contrasting flavors there. Shortly afterwards, Jack yawns and takes his leave, lifting his hand once more before walking slowly through the halls to get some rest.</p><p>Sam makes his excuses a little while later, and then it's just Cas and Dean, sitting across from each other at the table, Dean scraping his fork through the last of the filling on his plate. "I know this was relatively lowkey," Cas offers after a moment, the deep rasp of his voice surprising Dean after the comfortable silence that had settled over them for the last few minutes. "Sam and I discussed it a few days ago, and we thought... well, we decided since birthdays were kind of a non-event, maybe we shouldn't overwhelm you, especially for the first time. It... it's been a difficult enough past few months all around."</p><p>Dean considers this for a moment, fork pressed against his lips. They had been right, ultimately, even it being just the four of them with minimal fuss and whatever else had left him spiraling, still has a tingle of discomfort building under his skin if he really sits and allows himself to think about it. He shrugs a little and looks back at his plate. "I guess it's just hard, after years of having nothing, and never knowing what time you have left, to just... having a chance at everything, you know? It's a lot to take in."</p><p>Cas nods, knowing all too well what Dean means. He had been expecting a millennia in the Empty, after all, before Dean's overwhelming soul had barreled into the nothingness, gripping him tight and pulling him out to this, their life together here, now. "It is," he finally says, and Dean glances up at him.</p><p>"But really, it- it was an amazing day. Thanks, Cas."</p><p>Cas smiles, his eyes gentle and soft. "My pleasure, Dean."</p><p>Pushing his plate aside, Dean stands and stretches. "Well, I dunno about you, but I'm about ready to turn in." He smirks down at Cas and holds a hand out. When Cas easily meets him halfway, their fingers lacing together, Dean's smirk softens into a true smile and they stand side by side, leaning in for a slow, lingering kiss that puts the period on this perfect day.</p><p>Walking side by side through the halls to their bedroom, Dean pauses midstep and causes Cas to falter, looking back at him. "Wait, <em>first time</em>? Does that mean you guys are going to make this an even bigger thing <em>next</em> year?"</p><p>Cas shakes his head with a huff of a laugh, tugging on Dean's hand to make him continue walking. "Happy birthday, Dean," is all he bothers to say, ignoring Dean's muttered protests before closing the door behind them.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>